8 Fascinating Things That Matters in Logo Design

A logo design is the most important part of any brand’s identity as it represents the company throughout the world. Being an accurate visual representation of a brand, makes the logo design easily memorable. 

Hence, people usually identify a brand just by looking at its logo design. Take established companies like Nike for example. We all know they make revolutionary products but the most memorable detail about their company is their logo design. 

Your brand logo is the symbol of your company. And a good logo design is essential for having a positive and long lasting initial impression on the audience.

 A company’s logo design has more psychological effects on the public than visual. People usually make perceptions about a brand based just upon the logo design. This proves how a standard piece of design can impact people on a deeper level. 

The basic idea behind designing any logo is to make a connection with the audience based solely on illustrations. Achieving that level in your brand logo is the hardest bit of designing.

 A good logo design is the reflection of a brand and if designed correctly, it makes a huge impact on the society and becomes an inspiration for upcoming brands/ companies.

Just like we discussed above, a good logo design says a lot about the brand and this quality makes that logo, a class apart from the competition. Hence, let us discuss what your logo design says about your brand based on type, color and shape. 

TYPE

Logo design type is something which makes a huge difference in how a brand logo will turn out. Different types of logos portray a message, differently. 

Hence, in order to convey the correct message, you should focus on picking the right type of logo design for your brand logo. Let us discuss what different types of logo designs say about a brand.

  1. Wood mark

Logotype logos, (or wood mark logos), are freestanding company names (or acronyms) which are designed into an elegant logo. 

The basic idea behind this type of logo design is to make it easily recognizable from the masses.

However, the simplicity of this design can sometimes make it look boring. 

Hence, making it unique should be your utmost priority as many logos are designed in the wood mark format, which can get monotonous for the audience. Some examples of wood mark logos are: eBay, CNN, Google, etc.  

  1. Letterform
logo design
letterform logo design

As the name suggests, these logos are made up of a single letter which represents the brand. This letter is usually the initial of the brand, however, you can get creative and use that one letter in a unique way.

 The most relevant example for Letterform type is the McDonald’s logo, where the golden arches are as big of a phenomenon as the brand itself.

  1. Pictorial

Logos which use recognizable symbols to represent a brand are termed as pictorial logos. The basic idea behind any pictorial brand logo is to use a picture which says a thousand words. 

Using what your brand represents or what best defines your brand is key here. 

The best example for this type of logo is the twitter logo which incorporates a light blue bird to represent the brand.

  1. Emblems 

Logo emblems are used by brands who want to make a bold statement through their logo design. These emblems usually consist of the company’s icon/ symbol along with the name of the company. 

Logo emblems usually look good on uniforms and jerseys. The Harley Davidson logo is a great example of logo emblems.

  1. Abstracts

These types of logo designs are unique and elegant. The designers usually have a lot of freedom while designing an abstract because they can freestyle as much as they want without any set limitations or guidelines. 

Abstracts are highly conceptual symbols which aren’t immediately recognizable but with time, they become highly memorable (if designed properly). 

One of the best examples of an abstract logo is the Nike’s swoosh, which represents movement (clearly related with what the brand is based upon)

What is the best logo for your company?

Just like we discussed above, there is no set logo for a specific company. For finding out what works the best for your brand, you need to do some research and establish what the brand stands for. 

Considering what goes into the logo and what does not should also be a priority as it will make the ultimate choice easier. Decide whether you want your logo design to be an abstract or if you want to incorporate the text as well and make it an emblem. 

If you have a short brand name, wood mark logo type will work out phenomenally for you. Whatever you choose, just make sure that the logo design does justice to the brand and represents what it stands for.

Another factor which makes or breaks a logo design is Color. Let us discuss what psychological impact color has, on a logo design.

COLORS

Colors in a logo design have a far deeper impact than we think. Different colors have different effects on the human brain, while one color can trigger happiness, the other can induce gloominess. 

Hence, studying color psychology before making random color combos is essential for optimum results. 

  1. Color psychology

Let us discuss the different effects caused by different colors on our subconscious mind.

  •  Red- powerful, passionate, strong
  •  Orange- fun, bold
  •  Yellow- happiness, positivity, friendliness
  •  Green- growth, balance, wealth
  •  Blue- trust, honesty, calm
  •  Purple- royalty, creativity, quality
  •  Black- security, elegance, sophisticated
  •  White- purity, innocence, cleanliness

Based on these effects, we can make better decisions about what colors we pick for our logo designs. Picking something which works hand in hand with your brand can get you best results.

  1. Shades and tints

Colors are not just limited to what we discussed above, the shades and tints of the colors discussed above are also categorized as different colors and they have different psychological effects respectively.

 For example, a darker tone of the blue color represents royalty whereas the lighter shade represents trust. Hence, the same color in different shades can have two different meanings. 

Same is the case with tints, adding white or black to a color can change its vibrance and essentially the psychological message it radiates.

For your logo design, you should analyze what message you want to send to the viewer. Once you are final on a decision, analyze whether you want to send a bold message or a calm message. Then utilize the tints and shades accordingly.

Quick tip ** avoid using more than three colors in a single logo design, it defeats the purpose of having a memorable logo. As complex designs are harder to memorize as compared to the simple ones.

 Hence, keep things to a minimum and do not overuse colors. Oversaturated logos don’t look good.

  1. Shape

Another essential factor which makes or breaks a logo design is the shape of that logo. All logos come in various shapes and just like colors, these shapes also have a huge psychological impact. 

If used correctly, the logo design can look exponentially better. Let us discuss some psychological effects these shapes have:

  •  Circles, ovals, ellipses- community, friendship, wholeness
  •  Squares, rectangles- stability, balance, reliability
  •  Triangles- intellect, power, energy
  •  Curves- happiness, rhythm, feminine
  •  Symmetry- organization, tradition, hierarchy
  •  Organic- pleasure, comfort, nature
  •  Vertical lines- masculinity, strength, power
  •  Horizontal lines- calm, tranquility

You should pay special attention to the logo shape while designing your brand logo. A company which deals with products for children won’t do well with a sharp-edged logo shape.

 Like it is famously said, everything should naturally fall into its place. Just like that, proper research will make your logo better and will prep it for success.

Talking about logo design, crowdsourcing is the most hyped phenomenon in the design world right now. Logo design contests should be your go to, if you want to save time and money while designing the ultimate brand logo for yourself.Designfier can assist you with organizing these logo design contests at an astonishing price for the services they provide. For a revolutionary price of just $99, you can ideally design a bright future for your brand. The company caters with designing needs for all brand identity elements. Hence, you can never go wrong with choosing Designfier for your latest design projects. Let the professionals do the heavy lifting for you.


Henny Darwin is a content strategist and moderator at Designfier, one of the leading graphic design marketplaces.